Moeen Ali lauds Jos Buttler’s faith in spin as England bounce back against Pakistan

The spinning allrounder, who put in a player of the match-winning performance, was part of a trio of English spinners, alongside Matt Parkinson and Adil Rashid, who changed the game for England

Moeen Ali was full of praise for Jos Buttler following England’s 45-run victory over Pakistan in the second T20I at Emerald Headingley, lauding the stand-in captain’s decision to bowl 11 overs of spin.

In pursuit of 201 to win, Pakistan started quickly and were 65 for 1 after seven overs, including pummelling Moeen for 14 off his first over of the day. However, introducing Matt Parkinson and Adil Rashid into the attack in the eighth over changed the complexion of the chase, with five wickets falling for just 40 runs in between the former's first and last ball.

Moeen, himself, picked up two wickets in the 13th over – Mohammad Hafeez caught on the boundary by Jonny Bairstow and Fakhar Zaman (bowled) – and finished with figures of 2 for 32.

"I don’t think it was a game plan," he said after the match. "I think it was Jos playing the conditions. Obviously, having batted for a while himself, maybe he felt spin was quite tough and it did spin. The two leg-spinners, in particular, bowled especially well. I think Parky [Matt Parkinson] and Rash [Adil Rashid] complemented each other brilliantly – both very different, but very skilful. I don’t think it was risky at all."

Earlier in the day, Moeen had put in a strong performance with the bat, smashing 36 runs from just 16 balls as part of a 52-run third-wicket stand with Buttler. Indeed, this match was a rare starring role for the spinning allrounder who has largely been a passenger in England’s XI in recent matches.

How good has Moeen Ali been today 🔥#ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/oar55RCoAa

— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) July 18, 2021

However, the 34-year-old maintained a positive attitude about his contributions this summer, commenting: "Being an allrounder you want to bat and bowl as much as you can. It’s tough because the guys are playing well and Morgs [Eoin Morgan] wants to have a look at the players.

"It can be frustrating. I just try to be positive and play the best cricket I can when my chance comes. Today, it was nice to get in the powerplay and when the field was up, get the timing right and it was nice to bat with Jos. We put on a nice partnership.

"I was playing well off the back of the IPL, and I don’t want to lose that confidence. In the past, I would let it get me down a bit but now, being a bit older and wiser, it’s about feeling confident and playing well, and the performances will take care of themselves. I see myself as a utility player. When needed I can try and go up the order, when not, I can still do quite well down the order and bowling. [It’s just] staying confident and [doing] as well as I can when the chance comes."

England v Pakistan, second T20I: Talking points

Quizzed on his potential involvement in the upcoming T20 World Cup in the autumn, he continued diplomatically: "I think the competition for places is very strong. There’s so many good players coming in and out of the team, and strength and depth in the whole squad. It keeps you on your toes; nothing’s a given. You’ve got to work hard and perform, but it’s brilliant for our white-ball set-up."

And he was equally coy about his chances of playing in England's red-ball series against India. "I’d love to play a part in it," he said. "I want to play as much cricket as I can for England and do as well as I can. If the weather stays like this then I’m sure I’ll be part of the team. We’ve got Leachy [Jack Leach] and Bessy [Dom Bess] who’ve done well. Leachy has been the number one for a while now and if I get the call, I’ll be happy."